Part 1:
Discover and Clarify Your Acting Purpose
Why are you doing this? What's the deep-rooted reason you're an actor? By finding the answer to this question, you'll be unconsciously pulled towards making your goals become real and it will be easier to break through your plateau.
First, a quick question:
Have you ever heard that we actually only use 10% of our brains?
Do you really believe that?
Most people say no, because science and evolutionary theory has said that whatever you don't use, you lose (in order to preserve energy). So based on that, science has proven that in fact we do use 100% of our brains. But here's the interesting part: That 10% people talk about is actually partially true. It's called the conscious part of our brains, the part where we do our thinking and regular day to day processing of information. It's basically where we live. But the other 90% of our brain is actually subconscious, which means we're not aware of it. The subconscious is the part that controls our emotions, the beating of our hearts, and even the things we like and don't like to do.
Example: Do you like eating tomatoes? Well, you don't choose to like tomatoes consciously, it's your subconscious that determines whether you like them or not.
So then the question becomes:
What if you could tap into that other 90% of your brain?
Almost all successful people are successful because the subconscious part of their mind drives them towards doing what's necessary to reach their goals. If you could somehow reprogram your subconscious mind and tap into that 90%, you'd automatically have increased drive, excitement, and focus, with decreased anxiety and stress. Negative emotions generally cause us to avoid taking action to reach the peak places in life, so if there were a way to avoid those emotions, we'd be so much more effective.
I believe that we each have a purpose to fulfill in our life. We each have something to contribute to this world, and until we find it, we can never access that other 90% of our brains.
I believe that you've decided to be an actor for a reason, but a reason you might not even be fully conscious of yet. If you can find out what it is and tap into its power, that's when your entire career can shift and you'll break through your plateau.
I believe that we each have a purpose to fulfill in our life. We each have something to contribute to this world, and until we find it, we can never access that other 90% of our brains.
I believe that you've decided to be an actor for a reason, but a reason you might not even be fully conscious of yet. If you can find out what it is and tap into its power, that's when your entire career can shift and you'll break through your plateau.
A beautiful picture depicting how you might feel when you find your life purpose. lol
How I Found My Own Life Purpose
So for a while I was absolutely obsessed with Asian martial arts films. Donnie Yen was my new hero. One day, while scanning through Netflix, I happened to come across a Chinese television series called The Legend of Bruce Lee.
The first episode starts and guess what I find out? Bruce Lee was a cha-cha dancer before he did kung fu! He was just like me, in the sense that he had no real idea of what he wanted to do in his life. He wasn't from a wealthy family and had no connections, but suddenly he got really interested in kung fu because of a fight he was in with some bullies at his school.
He then became obsessed with everything about kung fu, and after a number of years of studying he eventually found himself in the United States. There he learned that no one in the U.S. had ever heard of kung fu or had any idea that China was the original inventor of martial arts. That was when he became obsessed with showing the world that China deserved more respect and should not be called the "Sick Man of East Asia," as people used to say.
The first episode starts and guess what I find out? Bruce Lee was a cha-cha dancer before he did kung fu! He was just like me, in the sense that he had no real idea of what he wanted to do in his life. He wasn't from a wealthy family and had no connections, but suddenly he got really interested in kung fu because of a fight he was in with some bullies at his school.
He then became obsessed with everything about kung fu, and after a number of years of studying he eventually found himself in the United States. There he learned that no one in the U.S. had ever heard of kung fu or had any idea that China was the original inventor of martial arts. That was when he became obsessed with showing the world that China deserved more respect and should not be called the "Sick Man of East Asia," as people used to say.
As Bruce became infatuated with the idea of bringing respect back to China, he started to realize that that was his true life purpose and the only thing he really cared about. He took crazy risks and continuously put himself on the line for what he believed in, because if he didn't achieve his life-goal, what would be the point of even existing?
As I watched the show and saw how incredible his achievements were, and how much he was willing to sacrifice for what he believed in, along with the level of success, fame, and fortune he achieved in the process, I couldn't help but think to myself, "this is all because he found his purpose - his reason for being."
As I realized that, I began to think about all the other majorly successful people in life... those who've become mega famous, wealthy and/or successful, or those whose names have been remembered throughout time. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Steven Spielberg, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Jesus Christ, and many, many others.
What do they all have in common? They all found a life purpose they believed so strongly in that they sacrificed years of their lives and moved mountains to make it a reality because not only did they believe it was possible, but they believed they were the ones meant to achieve it, and that in the end, it would absolutely be worth the sacrifice.
After I realized this, I couldn't sleep at all that night. Why? Because I had no idea what my own life purpose was.
But I knew at least one thing: the only way for me to reach the biggest goals in my life would be to discover my life purpose and then work to achieve it.
As I watched the show and saw how incredible his achievements were, and how much he was willing to sacrifice for what he believed in, along with the level of success, fame, and fortune he achieved in the process, I couldn't help but think to myself, "this is all because he found his purpose - his reason for being."
As I realized that, I began to think about all the other majorly successful people in life... those who've become mega famous, wealthy and/or successful, or those whose names have been remembered throughout time. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Steven Spielberg, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Jesus Christ, and many, many others.
What do they all have in common? They all found a life purpose they believed so strongly in that they sacrificed years of their lives and moved mountains to make it a reality because not only did they believe it was possible, but they believed they were the ones meant to achieve it, and that in the end, it would absolutely be worth the sacrifice.
After I realized this, I couldn't sleep at all that night. Why? Because I had no idea what my own life purpose was.
But I knew at least one thing: the only way for me to reach the biggest goals in my life would be to discover my life purpose and then work to achieve it.
So what did I discover?
At first I started thinking about what I really loved to do. As it turns out, I had already built a fairly successful headshot photography business called City Headshots® because I really loved photography and video work. But as I thought more, I realized I wasn't 100% passionate about photography. The photographers I hired for my team were passionate, but I personally was more interested in the psychology behind why people were often so uncomfortable on-camera, and why it could be so hard to get clients to relax at times.
As I grew my business, I would of course get angry, freaked out, or overwhelmed at times (as we all do). At one point I got so sick of my overreactions that I decided to try to create a tool that would allow me to coach myself. After a few months of work, I had developed a tool that actually allowed me to explore my own unconscious mind. Basically the tool consisted of a series of questions that would lead me to uncover why I felt a certain way about things. So since I had already created a tool to help uncover my unconscious thoughts, I asked, "Why not create a tool that could help me find my life purpose?
It was then that I realized, "Maybe my life purpose, to help other people find theirs?" And this got me excited. I explored the idea more and played around with it for a few months, and eventually learned that what I was most passionate about is helping people reach their goals. And I absolutely loved working with actors.
As I grew my business, I would of course get angry, freaked out, or overwhelmed at times (as we all do). At one point I got so sick of my overreactions that I decided to try to create a tool that would allow me to coach myself. After a few months of work, I had developed a tool that actually allowed me to explore my own unconscious mind. Basically the tool consisted of a series of questions that would lead me to uncover why I felt a certain way about things. So since I had already created a tool to help uncover my unconscious thoughts, I asked, "Why not create a tool that could help me find my life purpose?
It was then that I realized, "Maybe my life purpose, to help other people find theirs?" And this got me excited. I explored the idea more and played around with it for a few months, and eventually learned that what I was most passionate about is helping people reach their goals. And I absolutely loved working with actors.
Here is the set of questions I developed to help actors find out why they do what they do at the deepest level. Just fill in your answer to each question and by the end of this 10 minute process, you'll have a pretty good idea of what's most important to you in your acting career.
Action Step: Complete the "Find Your Acting Purpose" questions below.
Action Step: Complete the "Find Your Acting Purpose" questions below.
Part 2:
Set Goals That Inspire You
What do you really want to achieve, and why?
Make sure to complete the Find Your Acting Purpose exercise before you start setting goals. If you haven't done that yet, I highly encourage you to take action there before moving on to this section, otherwise the rest of this page will not help you nearly as much.
Let's figure out our categories of focus.
Now that you know your acting purpose, it's time to break that down into smaller chunks. If your worried that your acting purpose is different than what you're currently doing, that's totally fine. At least you know what it is now so you can start moving towards on it!
So how do you divide your acting purpose into three primary categories or areas that will allow you to keep focused?
Let's use the example from the acting purpose tool sample answers. If your purpose is to win an academy award while playing dark characters in such a way that the audience feels deep empathy for them, how can you break that down into three distinct areas?
In other words, what are the different areas of your life purpose?
Action Step: Come up with your three areas now.
So how do you divide your acting purpose into three primary categories or areas that will allow you to keep focused?
Let's use the example from the acting purpose tool sample answers. If your purpose is to win an academy award while playing dark characters in such a way that the audience feels deep empathy for them, how can you break that down into three distinct areas?
- Area 1: Play gangster characters as my primary type.
- Area 2: Win an academy award for playing gangster characters.
- Area 3: Create empathy within my audience so they feel for the characters I play.
In other words, what are the different areas of your life purpose?
Action Step: Come up with your three areas now.
Let's break those three areas down into goals that are specific, or S.M.A.R.T.
It's very important that your goals are able to be acted upon. S.M.A.R.T. happens to be an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Focused, and Timed.
Our next step is to take each of the three areas you wrote above and re-define them as goals that are S.M.A.R.T.
For example, we'll start with Area 1: Play gangster characters as my primary type.
S = Specific: This goal is not very specific, so how can we be more specific? BETTER: Solely focus my branding and type to gangster characters, and no longer play other types of roles unless absolutely necessary.
M = Measurable: This goal is not really measurable. We need to have tangible evidence that we have completed the goal. BETTER: Ensure all my marketing materials including website, headshot, reel, business card, etc., are all focused on gangster characters, and no longer say yes to character roles besides gangsters unless absolutely necessary.
A = Achievable: This goal is achievable, even though it has not yet been broken down further. It is something that's possible if enough effort and time is given.
R = Results-Focused: This goal is results-focused and does, in fact, clearly show the end result, but it could be slightly more specific with a dollar value you're willing to accept to perform in non-gangster films. BETTER: Ensure all my marketing materials including website, headshot, reel, business card, etc., are all focused on gangster characters, and no longer say yes to character roles besides gangsters unless being paid more than $500 per day.
T = Time-Bound: This goal is not time-bound. We need to set a realistic deadline for the goal. BETTER: By the end of this year, I will have redesigned my entire website and all branding materials so they are solely focused on gangster characters and I will no longer be accepting any offers for other types of characters unless the pay rater is higher than $500 per day.
Hopefully this example makes it easy to understand, but if you have any questions feel free to email me!
Action Step: Create your S.M.A.R.T. goals for each of your three areas.
Our next step is to take each of the three areas you wrote above and re-define them as goals that are S.M.A.R.T.
For example, we'll start with Area 1: Play gangster characters as my primary type.
S = Specific: This goal is not very specific, so how can we be more specific? BETTER: Solely focus my branding and type to gangster characters, and no longer play other types of roles unless absolutely necessary.
M = Measurable: This goal is not really measurable. We need to have tangible evidence that we have completed the goal. BETTER: Ensure all my marketing materials including website, headshot, reel, business card, etc., are all focused on gangster characters, and no longer say yes to character roles besides gangsters unless absolutely necessary.
A = Achievable: This goal is achievable, even though it has not yet been broken down further. It is something that's possible if enough effort and time is given.
R = Results-Focused: This goal is results-focused and does, in fact, clearly show the end result, but it could be slightly more specific with a dollar value you're willing to accept to perform in non-gangster films. BETTER: Ensure all my marketing materials including website, headshot, reel, business card, etc., are all focused on gangster characters, and no longer say yes to character roles besides gangsters unless being paid more than $500 per day.
T = Time-Bound: This goal is not time-bound. We need to set a realistic deadline for the goal. BETTER: By the end of this year, I will have redesigned my entire website and all branding materials so they are solely focused on gangster characters and I will no longer be accepting any offers for other types of characters unless the pay rater is higher than $500 per day.
Hopefully this example makes it easy to understand, but if you have any questions feel free to email me!
Action Step: Create your S.M.A.R.T. goals for each of your three areas.
Why do you want it so bad?
Most of the time, the method of how you're going to do something is far less important than why you want to do it. The reason for this is because without a strong enough why you'll never find the how and you'll likely give up.
I could hand you a detailed, step by step plan on how to get the athletic body of your dreams, but would you be willing to put in the effort if you didn't have much of a reason to want to get fit?
Now, if I withheld that step by step instruction plan and you wanted to get into great shape so badly because of how healthy you'd be, who you'd impress, and how awesome you'd feel, do you think you'd put in the effort to go find information, tools, or someone else who could help you? Much more likely.
The same is true for any goal you have. Not many people can give you the how map, but if you have enough reasons why you want something, chances are you'll be motivated to go out and figure out how to make it happen.
So your next step is to figure out why you want to reach all three of these S.M.A.R.T. goals so badly.
Action Step: Complete the two steps below:
Keep these reasons handy and refer back to them any time you start to slow down, feel overwhelmed, or get tired. These reasons are your fuel!
I could hand you a detailed, step by step plan on how to get the athletic body of your dreams, but would you be willing to put in the effort if you didn't have much of a reason to want to get fit?
Now, if I withheld that step by step instruction plan and you wanted to get into great shape so badly because of how healthy you'd be, who you'd impress, and how awesome you'd feel, do you think you'd put in the effort to go find information, tools, or someone else who could help you? Much more likely.
The same is true for any goal you have. Not many people can give you the how map, but if you have enough reasons why you want something, chances are you'll be motivated to go out and figure out how to make it happen.
So your next step is to figure out why you want to reach all three of these S.M.A.R.T. goals so badly.
Action Step: Complete the two steps below:
- Come up with a list of five reasons why life will be so amazing if you reach your three goals. Think of where you'll be 10 years from now if you accomplished them all and everything came to fruition!
- Come up with a list of five reasons why you'd be extremely sad and unhappy if you looked back on your life 10 years from now and felt regret that you never achieved each of these three goals.
Keep these reasons handy and refer back to them any time you start to slow down, feel overwhelmed, or get tired. These reasons are your fuel!
Part 3:
Create a System to Reach Those Goals
Let's break your goals down into actionable steps and automate the process of moving forward.
It's crucial that you not only create goals in your acting career and come up with reasons why you should achieve them, but that you also develop systems that will move you towards those goals without it feeling like work.
Wouldn't life be easy if you didn't have to work so hard to achieve your goals? Well luckily, it's possible.
If you haven't set your S.M.A.R.T. goals yet and you don't have compelling reasons why you want them, please go back and complete those sections before moving on.
So what are systems and why are they important?
Lots of people who know me joke around and call me the "Systems Guy." The reason is because I've developed the habit of systematizing everything I do so I am essentially pulled towards my goals unconsciously and nothing I do anymore feels like work. It's probably because I'm somewhat lazy and want things to be as easy as possible when they can be.
Do you think someone like Bruce Lee felt like doing kung fu was work? Do you think he felt it was work when he went in front of the cameras and fought one of the most famous fights of all time with Chuck Norris?
Sure there is work involved to get to where you want to be, but if you love every minute of it and you're passionate about your goals with endless energy, it becomes much easier.
Do you think someone like Bruce Lee felt like doing kung fu was work? Do you think he felt it was work when he went in front of the cameras and fought one of the most famous fights of all time with Chuck Norris?
Sure there is work involved to get to where you want to be, but if you love every minute of it and you're passionate about your goals with endless energy, it becomes much easier.
So first, we have to break our goals down into actionable steps.
Previously, we had created a set of three primary goals related to our acting purpose. We will continue with the first S.M.A.R.T. goal we created earlier:
By the end of this year, I will have redesigned my entire website and all branding materials so they are solely focused on gangster characters and I will no longer be accepting any offers for other types of characters unless the pay rate is higher than $500 per day.
So let's brainstorm all the possible steps we can take to make the above happen. Here are some steps I can take:
Do you see how, by breaking your big goal down into actionable steps, your dream starts to actually look possible? This is where things start to get exciting.
Action Step: Break down all three of your S.M.A.R.T. goals into actionable steps. Ideally come up with at least 10 steps for each.
By the end of this year, I will have redesigned my entire website and all branding materials so they are solely focused on gangster characters and I will no longer be accepting any offers for other types of characters unless the pay rate is higher than $500 per day.
So let's brainstorm all the possible steps we can take to make the above happen. Here are some steps I can take:
- Figure out exactly which projects I will start saying no to so that I can start focusing on playing the roles I really want.
- Write down specifically the exact types of character I want to start playing and do a photoshoot to get shots of me as that type of character (gangster).
- Redesign my website and reel for the new character types I want to play.
- Find 3-4 books to read of actors who have become successful to see if they talk about taking on higher and higher paid roles.
- Figure out how I can earn extra money on the side to support myself for when I start turning down projects that are not focused on what I want to play.
- Actually start turning down the projects that don't support me in my long term goal.
- Start networking with filmmakers who produce gangster films so that they ask me to play roles in their projects.
Do you see how, by breaking your big goal down into actionable steps, your dream starts to actually look possible? This is where things start to get exciting.
Action Step: Break down all three of your S.M.A.R.T. goals into actionable steps. Ideally come up with at least 10 steps for each.
Second, we have to schedule those steps.
So we have a bunch of steps we've created, in no particular order. Now we need to take them and put dates on them so we know what to focus on first and what needs to most attention right away. So let's do that here:
As you can see, the plan shows that I would be free and ready to start fully pursuing my dream within just three months, depending on how aggressive I want to be. Of course problems will arise and it might take me an extra few weeks, and I may have to do a lot of extra work at the beginning, but this sort of plan inspires me to take action to make my dreams into reality.
You'll of course need to be more detailed and break down each of the above steps into more detail, such as figuring out dates you'll want to finish reading the books, figuring out how many filmmakers you'll want to network with, etc., but you get the idea.
Action Step: Schedule your steps in chronological order, and then add them into your calendar!
- March 20 - Figure out exactly which projects I will start saying no to so that I can start focusing on playing the roles I really want.
- April 2 - Figure out how I can earn extra money on the side to support myself for when I start turning down projects that are not focused on what I want to play.
- April 5 - Write down specifically the exact types of character I want to start playing and do a photoshoot to get shots of me as that type of character (gangster).
- April 21 - Start networking with filmmakers who produce gangster films so that they ask me to play roles in their projects.
- May 1 - Find 3-4 books to read of actors who have become successful to see if they talk about taking on higher and higher paid roles.
- May 12 - Redesign my website and reel for the new character types I want to play.
- June 3 - Actually start turning down the projects that don't support me in my long term goal.
As you can see, the plan shows that I would be free and ready to start fully pursuing my dream within just three months, depending on how aggressive I want to be. Of course problems will arise and it might take me an extra few weeks, and I may have to do a lot of extra work at the beginning, but this sort of plan inspires me to take action to make my dreams into reality.
You'll of course need to be more detailed and break down each of the above steps into more detail, such as figuring out dates you'll want to finish reading the books, figuring out how many filmmakers you'll want to network with, etc., but you get the idea.
Action Step: Schedule your steps in chronological order, and then add them into your calendar!
Third and most importantly, we must end our procrastination and put our brain on autopilot.
I think this is the most fun part of the process. This is where we get to ask ourselves a short series of questions that will re-link our goals unconsciously to our higher values so that we start to get pulled towards them. I like to joke that you're almost "brainwashing" yourself into being pulled towards your goals effortlessly.
The below questions will allow you to build leverage within yourself to start to push your brain in the right direction, and then further down I'll tell you about a separate unique tool I can offer you if you're interested.
Action Step: Answer the following questions:
The below questions will allow you to build leverage within yourself to start to push your brain in the right direction, and then further down I'll tell you about a separate unique tool I can offer you if you're interested.
Action Step: Answer the following questions:
Set up automations and systems to move you towards the goals with little effort.
Wow, you've made it through a lot! By this point, if you actually did all the exercises, you're probably thinking, I have a ton of stuff on my plate to start working on. Well that's great! When you're inspired to move forward, you actually want to get off your butt and start making things happen.
Well, I have a few more things for you including three AMAZING free tools I use to help myself be more effective in what I do. I'd like to share them with you if you're interested:
Well, I have a few more things for you including three AMAZING free tools I use to help myself be more effective in what I do. I'd like to share them with you if you're interested:
- A free email reminder system that ensures I never forget to do things or follow up with people. Check out www.followupthen.com and set up a free account.
- A free tool that allows you to find almost ANYONE'S email address online for free so you can easily start networking with filmmakers, agents, managers, and more. Check out www.hunter.io and set up a free account.
- The one little thing you can do to increase the number of people who respond to your emails by almost DOUBLE. Create an HTML email signature with your headshot in it - check out this site to generate one for free.
- A free phone call with me where, by asking you just a few questions, we can rewire your thinking so reaching your goals no longer feels like work, but like play. If you want to schedule this, just shoot me an email.